The Truth
by star429
Summary: Post 3.10 *Spoilers* Do Stef and Lena find out? What happens to Callie and Brandon at that point?
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1 – The Truth_

Callie was headed up the stairs to her room when she heard Stef's voice from the family room. "Callie, can you come in here a minute?"

Callie walked back down the stairs, wondering what Stef wanted to discuss. She hadn't done anything wrong since… _that night in the cabin._ Pushing that thought out of her mind, she entered the family room and found Stef on the couch looking pensive.

Stef smiled warmly at Callie as she entered the room. "Come sit down, love" Stef said and gestured to the chair across from her.

Callie sat and asked, "So what did you want to talk about?"

Stef looked hesitant. "I'm not even sure I should be asking you this. But I've been concerned about Brandon, and since the two of you are so close, I wanted to ask you if you had any idea why he seems... Off. He's been so distant and irritable, but whenever I try and talk to him about it, he says that everything is fine…" Stef trailed off, seeing the stricken expression that flitted across Callie's face for an instant. "So you do know what's going on." It was not a question, and now Stef knew she was onto something.

Callie schooled her face into a neutral expression very quickly, but the damage had already been done. "I'm sorry, Stef, I wish I could help, but I don't know anything. Maybe you should try talking to him again."

"Your head was tilted away as you spoke." She said it mildly, but Callie knew the implication was that Stef knew she was lying.

Callie sighed, deeply. She hated lying to Stef and Lena, and it gutted her to see Brandon in pain and not be able to do anything about it. She was sure that if she touched him again, everyone in the house would either know they had been lovers, or she would leave both him and herself more damaged than they already were. They hadn't so much as brushed fingers since she had snuck into his room and confessed that she loved him. _Maybe I really should have just called Robert…_ But in her heart, she knew she belonged with this family.

Callie told a version of the truth. "Okay, I do know why he's been upset, but it's private. I promised I wouldn't say anything." _We both did…_

Stef looked at her compassionately for a moment before leaning toward her and looking at her seriously. "Lena and I want you all to be able to confide in each other, and sometimes we don't have to know what you're all talking about. But Callie, Brandon seems very unhappy, he hasn't been engaged with the family, with his friends, with his music, and we have to take that seriously."

Callie looked at her hands quickly so that Stef wouldn't see her eyes well up with tears. Everything Stef had said about Brandon was true. How could she have done this to her son when they had given her everything? How could she have made Brandon so miserable when she loved him so much? Why couldn't they have just fallen out of love after they ended things the first time? She felt so ashamed of herself, and guilty.

"Stef… Please, I can't tell you," she murmured softly, looking down at her hands miserably. Realization was beginning to dawn on Stef.

Right at that moment, Brandon walked downstairs to get a drink and saw that Callie was talking to Stef and that she was upset. He walked over quickly and sat next to Calllie, looking at her concerned.

"What's going on?" He asked, looking between Callie and Stef.

Stef started, speaking slowly. "I was just asking Callie if she knew why you had been acting so differently lately. I didn't realize it would upset her."

He stood up, standing in front of Callie and looking furious. "Mom! If you have questions about how I'm acting, you should be asking me!" Callie looked up at Brandon, and because she was upset, she failed to cover the concern and love she felt for him on her face. Stef might have been able to disregard that.

But it was Callie's hand unconsciously reaching out to Brandon's hand to comfort him that made Stef realize, and her face showed dawning horror. Registering this, Callie brought her hand back to her lap as quickly as if she had touched a hot stove.

"Oh my God…" Stef whispered.

Brandon sat down next to Callie, defeated. Like magnets, his eyes were drawn to Callie's. His anguished eyes met her guilty ones, and they decided in that second to tell the whole truth. Perhaps they would be punished, or shamed, or screamed at, but then at least the burden of deciding what to do about the situation they found themselves in would be off of them. In the panicked days after they slept together, they made the decision that Callie would still be adapted because they thought they could bury their feelings for each other like they did before, but they hadn't accounted for how much more it would hurt after they had been intimate together.

Callie and Brandon turned as one to meet Stef's angry and disbelieving gaze. "You should call Lena," Brandon said softly.

Ignoring him, Stef yelled, "How long has this been going on?"

Callie winced, but Brandon just repeated himself calmly. "You should both hear the truth. You need to call Lena."

After Stef called Lena and asked her to come home to discuss Brandon and Callie's relationship, the three of them sat in uncomfortable silence for 15 minutes. No one spoke or looked at the other. Eventually Brandon grasped Callie's hand in his own, correctly determining it did not matter what he did at this point. Callie squeezed his hand slightly in reassurance, though she herself felt like she was going to be sick. Stef said nothing.

Once Lena came arrived home and was seated on the cough, Stef demanded, "Talk. Now."

"I broke the restraining order," Brandon started, feeling the sharp sting of shame that he was accustomed to feeling when talking about the restraining order.

Stef's eye's widened. "I could have you arrested for that!"

Callie shut her eyes, horrified. Why hadn't she just lied better? She wanted to run so badly, but she couldn't leave Brandon to their judgment alone again.

Lena broke in calmly. "But we won't do that, so let's listen to Brandon finish."

Callie shot a grateful look at Lena, and Brandon continued. "We made it seem like our relationship was just that one kiss at your wedding, but it wasn't. We met up secretly while Callie was at Girls United. We communicated with a cell phone that I gave her and she kept hidden."

Callie winced again, remembering the consequences of keeping that phone. She continued the tale. "I eventually gave the phone to Rita in order to fully commit to the program, but some of the girls knew about our relationship, and I'll get back to that because that's important. Shortly after that, Stef, was when your father passed away. We decided after the funeral that since I needed a family more than a boyfriend, we would end our relationship."

Stef and Lena looked at each other in shock, trying to comprehend what they were hearing.

Callie continued, wanting to finish this excruciating conversation. "We shoved our feelings aside, and we were doing all right at not acting on them… Until I kissed Brandon at the fundraiser after I found out that Robert wouldn't sign the papers." Callie's voice was shaking, but she was determined to be honest. Brandon squeezed her hand, silently letting her know that he was there and supporting her. "Some of the girls at GU knew that as well."

Lena asked softly, "Why is that important?"

Callie took a deep breath and looked at Brandon again, finding reassurance and love in his gaze. Despite themselves, Stef and Lena marveled at their ability to communicate in silence.

"Before I go on… I'm so grateful to the two of you for this home and this family for me and for Jude. I love you both so much," Callie said desperately, wanting Stef and Lena to understand that she didn't want to hurt them.

Stef pushed aside her fear, anger, and disappointment and reassured her. "We love you too, Callie, no matter what you do or what you say. Go on. Finish the story."

Callie went to speak and found that she couldn't. All of a sudden, she was fighting for breath, and her heart was pounding. _I can't. I can't. I can't…_ She closed her eyes.

Brandon saw Callie's panic attack start and reacted instinctively. He turned toward Callie and reached for her other hand, holding both close to his chest. "Callie, calm down. Take some deep breaths, okay? Try to breathe with me."

Brandon saw her eyes open and saw the wild fear there, so he pressed his forehead against hers to try and calm her. He kept speaking, "It's going to be okay, Callie. Try and breathe with me, please." Callie focused on Brandon and matched her breathing to his, and eventually she felt calm enough to continue.

Stef and Lena looked at the two of them and wondered at how they could have missed this connection that must have been growing steadily all this time.

Callie and Brandon turned toward them, and Callie bravely finished their story. "Lena, to answer your question… Carmen knew about the relationship and about the kiss at the fundraiser. When I talked to her about Rita, she told me that if I told anyone she was buying meth, she would tell my social worker everything. I recorded the whole conversation in order to clear Rita if I needed to, and I never denied anything about Brandon. When you told me Rita was being charged, I had no choice but to send her the recording, so I sent it. At Idyllwild. So I figured you wouldn't be able to adopt me because either my social worker or Rita would tell you everything." Callie sighed, looking helplessly at Brandon as if to say, _your turn._

Brandon continued, wanting to be done with the conversation. "We assumed that the adoption was over, so we…" He took a deep breath. "We had sex. At the cabin."

Stef's and Lena's eyes went wide.

Brandon used their silent shock to continue. "When we found out the adoption was back on, we decided that we would bury it and never tell anyone. But it's been…" His voice broke, and Callie wanted so badly to hold him. He settled on, "Really difficult."

"But I promise you we haven't been sneaking around since I was adopted," Callie added.

Stef shook her head. "It doesn't matter, Callie. You lied to the judge, the social worker, and us. So did you, Brandon."

Lena asked, "Were you safe? At the cabin?"

Brandon and Callie both nodded.

Lena hesitated before asking, "And you both _felt_ safe? Emotionally?"

Brandon and Callie looked at each other lovingly before turning back and nodding easily at Lena again.

Despite themselves, Stef and Lena were both touched by the love and trust evident between the two teens. But from the parents' perspective, it was still a problem that they lied.

"Okay, we need to discuss this more," Stef said, gesturing to her and Lena. "And then we need to discuss it more with the two of you more once we figure out what the consequences are for lying." Stef hesitated. She was so angry with them, and yet… She looked at Lena, and she could tell from the conflicted look on her face that she was having the same issue with banning them from seeing each other. In the face of their obvious care for one another and the pain they've been in, it didn't seem right to ask them to go back to the lie they were living. Practically speaking, banning them from seeing each other also clearly didn't work the last time.

Bearing that in mind, Stef continued. "For right now, no more sex before we've figured out how we're all moving forward with this, but don't go back to trying to be brother and sister. I can tell you right now – that won't ever work, and you'll just cause yourselves more pain. Be yourselves, understand?" She made eye contact with both of them.

Callie and Brandon both felt an intense wave of relief at that despite their uncertainty about the future. Slowly, they let the lie of disconnection fall away from their body language. Brandon put his arm around Callie, and she tucked her head against his shoulder, taking a deep cleansing breath. Brandon leaned his head against Callie's. Both of them were exhausted from the conversation, but they also felt lighter. This secret was no longer their burden to carry alone.

A/N So should I continue? What did you think? Leave a review!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Wow! Thanks so much for your reviews. I'm so glad that people are enjoying this story.

 _Chapter 2 – Let's Not be Sorry_

Later on that evening, Callie and Brandon started talking in Brandon's room, with the door cracked open as per Stef and Lena's request. Because they all agreed that their siblings shouldn't know yet, they sat cross-legged on opposite sides of the bed.

"I'm sorry," Brandon started, sounding upset. He wouldn't meet Callie's eyes.

Callie took a moment to eye Brandon's door and listen to the hallway. All was silent. Jesus, Mariana, and Jude all still seemed to be downstairs. So, she scooted closer to Brandon's side and took one of his hands in hers. Her other hand reached for his chin to raise his eyes to meet hers.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Callie said intensely and quietly. "I know you think you didn't do a good enough job hiding how you have been feeling, but you're not being fair to yourself." She hesitated. "I'm the one who gave us away down there. I'm the one who couldn't make a decision before it was too late. I'm the one who crashed into your life and wrecked it." She stopped and shook her head, and now she was the one to look away. "I don't understand how you can still love me."

Brandon chuckled unexpectedly, and Callie looked back up at him. "We're quite the pair, carrying all this guilt over the other around all the time." He stopped and looked at her seriously. "You didn't wreck anything, at least not on your own. And _we_ didn't mean to wreck anything. Remember that fight we had in Mexico? You told me some tough truths… And you were right; the choices I made were my own.

And I love you because in addition to you being smart, beautiful, kind, spontaneous, and brave, we just… seem to fit together. Don't you think?" He looked at her shyly.

Callie looked at him lovingly. "Yes, I do think… Of course I do. And hey, can I say something without you immediately telling me I don't have to?"

Brandon nodded, curious.

Callie took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not being braver. After we slept together and we found out about the adoption, I should have acted. I should have done _something_ to prevent you from getting so hurt, something to stand up for us." Brandon went to interrupt, but Callie held up her hand. "I'm ashamed to say it, but my first instinct was to run away. I couldn't hurt Lena and Stef, and I couldn't hurt you, and it was like being back at square one because all I could think to do was run. But I didn't. I've grown up enough so that I didn't run. But I still took the path of least resistance instead of acting, and I'm sorry."

Brandon felt conflicted in response to her words. "I… Thank you. I mean, I can't deny that a part of me has always wanted you to say screw everything else and pick me, sometimes more than others. But I can't fault you for wanting a family, and I certainly never wanted to take it away from you. And if what ends up happening here is that I take that from you by sleeping with you…by falling for you…After you warned me what would happen…" He stopped, close to tears.

"Brandon!" Callie moved around behind Brandon and held him to her. She wrapped her arms tight around his chest and kissed his cheek from behind. "Please stop beating yourself up. That night… I felt so happy, and so loved, and with everything that's happened, I don't regret it, do you hear me? No matter what happens now."

Brandon turned around and kissed Callie quickly before resting his forehead against hers. "Me neither," he whispered quietly, smiling.

She smiled back. "So can we just… not be sorry anymore? At least, not about this? Let's just… be."

"That sounds amazing."

Her smile faded. "I have to talk to Jude. As soon as Stef and Lena come back with an answer. He's going to be so angry with me."

Bandon nodded, understanding. "And me. We're talking to him together."

Callie shook her head, but Brandon continued talking. "When you ran away, he was really pissed at me, too. I just feel like we need to be a united front with him."

"You just want to defend me."

"That, too."

They stared at each other for a second. "Okay," Callie finally said. "We'll both talk to Jude."

She reached up to touch Brandon's cheek and kissed him again. This time, despite being in the house with their family, Callie couldn't help herself and deepened the kiss, and Brandon was only too happy to reciprocate. Then they heard footsteps on the second floor and broke apart.

"I missed that," she said blushingly as they separated. "And… You know…" She hid her face in Brandon's shoulder.

He chuckled, reaching up to brush his hands through her hair. "You know what they say… If you can't talk about sex, you probably shouldn't be having it." He said it teasingly so she knew he was kidding.

But Callie knew there was some truth to that, so she forced herself to make eye contact with Brandon and tried. "It's not just that it physically felt good… It was like I could feel how much you loved me, understood me, and wanted me. And I didn't think I would ever be able to have that." She only blushed slightly as she spoke this time because she remembered who she was talking to – the person she trusted above all others.

Brandon brushed a bit of hair out of Callie's face and caressed her cheek. "I felt that, too. Like we've had so much forced distance, it was – as cheesy as this sounds – a dream come true to have none at all. And I could feel your love and your trust in everything that we physically did, and that was like… the best gift ever."

"Plus it was really hot," Callie said with a smirk, trying to lighten the moment.

Brandon could only nod.

"You should play," Callie spoke, changing the subject. She knew that if they kept talking, they would have a repeat of the night at the cabin, and they needed to respect Stef and Lena's rules right now. "I know you haven't much, since Idyllwild."

Brandon nodded, unable to deny it. After admitting how he still felt about Callie in his song, he couldn't separate the piano from Callie. Every time he sat down, he was reminded of how he lost her.

Callie stood up and grabbed Brandon's hand, pushing him toward the keyboard. She sat next to him gestured toward the keys, as if to say 'Go!'

So Brandon played, and he found that it was as easy as breathing with Callie by his side.

A/N Up next: A conversation between Stef and Lena… What will they decide? Let me know what you think and leave a review.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Thanks so much for your reviews! I know that everyone won't like the "solutions" I've created for Lena and Stef to present to Brandon and Callie. It's a tough situation they're in! But I hope you enjoy the chapter even if you would have done something differently.

Chapter 3

 _What Do We Do?_

"What do we do?" Lena looked up at Stef from their bed. Stef was pacing across the floor frantically. "I mean… what do we _do_?" Her voice went to a higher pitch in her emotional state.

Stef shook her head and kept pacing.

Lena reached across for Stef's hand to get her to stop. "We told the kids we would think about this and decide what to do, so you need to stop pacing, and we need to figure this out."

Stef sat down on the bed heavily and tried to speak. "I just can't even believe… It was right there! They were falling in love all this time, right under our noses, and we had absolutely no clue what was going on!"

Lena shook her head slowly. "We did have a clue, Stef. We just didn't want to see it. I mean, Brandon told us they were in love. Point blank."

Stef sighed, miserably. "And I shut him down. I told him - go be her brother. As if telling someone to think of someone else a completely different way actually works. What the hell was I thinking?"

Lena squeezed Stef's hand. "We both did. There's no use going back and questioning what we did then. At that point… it was just starting. Shutting it down probably would have worked with most kids."

"But still, we didn't talk to him about how he was feeling about Callie or talk to Callie about how she was feeling about Brandon. They've been carrying this weight around by themselves, making it more forbidden. And anything that's forbidden seems more appealing. So what do I do? I get a restraining order, and I let them spend the night in a cabin by themselves." Stef put her head in her hands. "We really screwed up," she said through her hands.

Lena nodded, agreeing. "Our number one rule – open communication with the kids. We lost track of that with them."

Stef took her head out of her hands. "Well, part of this is the kids. They know Callie would never have been adopted if they told us the truth. Even if we had been open about talking with them about their feelings for each other, they probably still would have lied for Callie to be adopted."

They both paused. They had hesitated to bring up the adoption up to this point because they didn't want to consider the possibility that Callie's adoption would need to come to an end.

"It is illegal for them to be together, right?" Lena finally asked, softly. "I mean, it's not just frowned upon or…" She stopped when she saw Stef shaking her head.

"It's definitely illegal now. Technically having sex three days before the adoption was just very strongly frowned upon, certainly enough to prevent her from getting adopted."

"Could you let that go?" Lena held her breath, waiting for an answer.

Stef paused, considering. "No one could know outside this house. It's so risky. If someone found out and filed a report… And then found out that we knew what was going on… Our ability as parents could be called into question. And that threatens all the kids, not just Brandon and Callie. Not to mention letting something illegal go on threatens my work."

Lena shook her head. "So we call Robert? After… God, after everything…" She was near tears.

Stef shook her head. "I didn't say that. I said we'd be taking a huge risk. Maybe… I can't believe I'm saying this… We let them try this relationship in plain sight with our supervision and our support under this roof. And only under this roof. We make it clear to them and the others that it's a secret. I mean, they've never actually been able to see if it could work. If they don't actually work well as a couple, well I hate to hope for that, but it would solve our problem, and then Callie could stay adopted."

"And if they stay together?"

Stef took a deep breath. "I don't think it's okay for them to go off to college in a serious relationship together with the same last name. Do you?"

"No," Lena said softly. She hesitated, then said, "And they couldn't legally get married that way."

Stef laughed, somewhat hysterically. "Please, let's not talk about marriage yet."

Lena smiled a little. "I don't know… it's kind of nice to think that at the end of all of this, she could still be our official daughter."

"You're such a romantic," Stef said, skeptical.

"Do we call Robert now, or only if…" Lena trailed off.

"We could leave that up to Callie, I think. I'm sure she thought about the possibility that she would have to call Robert, since she thought the adoption wasn't going to go through. By the way, I cannot believe Rita didn't tell us what she knew! No wonder Callie looked so shocked that morning…"

Lena sighed. "I would be angry, except I know what Rita's up against with these girls. A little thing like a secret relationship is nothing compared to one of her girls getting a family. She didn't know they had had sex."

"I suppose," Stef said grudgingly. "And the social worker… Their stories were completely different. We never even asked them why they were different. Different stories is a clear sign of covering something up, and I know that, and I never asked them why. I just didn't want to know. Now… I would bet money Callie told the truth, or as much as she could, and Brandon lied to try and protect her. I mean, Callie's logic wasn't wrong. There was no way she should have been adopted considering what the social worker and Rita knew."

"Well, it's a moot point now. She was adopted, and they did have sex. It is what it is."

"I hate that saying," Stef said mildly. "Okay, so what do we do about all the lying and the sex?"

"They're grounded?" Lena said, but as a question. "I'm feeling weird about grounding them to the house when…"

"Their significant other is in the house. Damn, is there like a book for this or something?" Stef signed with frustration.

"We give them all the chores. Two weeks. Laundry, cleaning, trash. And we do ground them, too."

Stef nodded, satisfied with that. "And what do we do about the fact that they're sleeping together?"

"I think we should talk to Callie about going on the pill," Lena suggested to Stef softly. "But if we're keeping their relationship to the house, then do we let them have sex in the house?"

"I agree on the pill. I…" Stef hesitated, failing to come up with a solution that didn't involve Brandon and Callie sleeping together in the house. She hated the idea, but she knew that forbidding them from having sex was a bad idea long term, and she didn't want them to get caught. It was too risky. "Yeah," she said helplessly. "Yeah, I guess we let them. We talk about being discreet and respectful, and we see how it goes."

Lena took a deep, steadying breath. "Okay, so we have a plan."

Stef nodded slowly, contemplating what this new future would be like where two of her children would be in a serious relationship with each other. "Okay."

A/N Up next: Another group conversation with Callie, Brandon, Stef, and Lena. Let me know what you think! This was such a tough chapter to write because there is no perfect solution that also stays true to the characters.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 _Talk to Me_

A/N So I know I promised another big group conversation, but this conversation just came to me. Let me know what you think! Thanks for all your reviews!

Callie woke up on a Saturday morning and walked downstairs to the kitchen. She stopped suddenly, seeing Stef sitting in front of her laptop drinking coffee. She hadn't interacted with Stef one-on-one since she had talked with her about Brandon, and she felt slightly uncomfortable being in a room alone with her.

Callie knew that Stef had been the one to initiate the restraining order against Brandon, and she recalled that Stef had been the most upset during their conversation with Brandon and Lena. So, now that everyone with her and Brandon was out in the open now, Callie was unsure how to approach Stef. She was honestly hoping to avoid her in the house until her, Brandon, Stef, and Lena all had a chance to talk again. She knew the conversation was tentatively planned for that afternoon, and she was very nervous.

"I just… wanted breakfast," Callie muttered, moving toward the sink and refraining from making eye contact with Stef.

Stef didn't want Callie to be uncomfortable about her. "Callie, come here, love."

Callie slowly turned and set next to Stef at the table, finally looking her in the eye.

"I'm sorry," Stef started, looking at Callie directly.

That was not what Callie expected to hear. In fact, she was shocked. "What could you possibly be sorry for? I'm the one who screwed up. I slept with Brandon and then lied in court about it."

Stef shook her head. "I mean, I'm sorry that we never talked to you about how you felt about Brandon. I was so focused on shutting it down… I never talked to you." She took a deep breath, smiling slightly. "I didn't want to lose you, so I just ignored it, hoping it would go away."

Callie was touched by the apology. Unlike Brandon, she had never expected the Moms to understand or accept their relationship, so she was shocked by Stef's words.

Seeing Callie's shock, Stef went on. "So I'm asking you now. Please talk to me."

Callie was completely tongue-tied. It went against all of her instincts to open up to Stef about Brandon. Everything she had learned in the foster system, and everything she and Brandon had agreed to all told her _No! The Moms cannot know!_

Stef chuckled, and Callie looked at her inquisitively. Stef answered her unspoken question. "I was talking to Brandon, actually apologizing for not being more understanding when he tried to talk to use after you ran away and while you were at Girl's United. I told him I could see that he had gotten his heart broken, and I was sorry for not supporting him. He paused for the longest time after I said that, like he wanted to say something, but then he ended up just thanking me. He had the same look on his face that you just had."

Callie took a breath and fought her instincts. _It's okay. They already know we had sex, and I'm still here. Brandon's upstairs sleeping. Jude's already adopted and that won't change. We're okay._

"That was for me," Callie said quietly but seriously. "I'm sure he would have loved to talk to you about it, but we put a lock-down on any conversations about our relationship that weren't between him and me only a long time ago, and I'm sure he was worried that he would give something away about us sneaking around while I was at Girl's United."

"And when you say a long time ago…"

Callie smiled sadly, remembering. "Mariana's Quincenera. Talya had read my journal because she was worried about Brandon and I, and I had written about Liam. But when he found out, Brandon didn't ask to see it or let Talya tell him what it said. He told me he already knew everything he had to know about me. And the way he said it… So sure… I could feel myself falling for him… I ran off.

And then later that week I called Brandon to pick me and Wyatt up. Long story. But Brandon admitted that he didn't want me dating anyone… Because he was jealous. I told him that Jude and I could be kicked out for even having that conversation.

But then he helped me so much with Liam and with the trial… Then your wedding happened."

Stef sighed. "So this has been a thing all along."

Callie nodded. "We really did try to be brother and sister after I came back and Brandon got back from his Dad's. It sort of worked for a while, but it was always uncomfortable. And obviously we kissed at the fundraiser, so we still had feelings for each other that whole time." _Uncomfortable is a huge understatement._

Apparently, Stef could see that as well. "It sounds painful, Callie," she murmured.

And to hear that validated by Stef of all people was so freeing for Callie that she found herself saying more. "I've known pain, you know? I thought if I could withstand being hungry, beaten, raped, my mom dying, and the system…" She found herself tearing up, and Stef took her hand. "I thought that since I know pain, I could just withstand it." She paused.

But Brandon… It killed me that he was struggling so much, that he was acting out, that he was making mistakes he never would have made if not for our relationship. And I couldn't even tell you why he was so angry and sad! Why he sold those stupid IDs…"

"What do you mean?"

"The money he took from Mike was for me for independent living," Callie admitted. "But then Brandon was determined to pay him back, so he sold those fake IDs."

"Ah," Stef nodded, the pieces coming together for her. She felt a stab of regret once again for not talking to Brandon more after Callie came home, for not helping him.

Callie continued, staring off into space. "Every day I woke up, thinking… Don't fall for him. Then don't show anyone you already have. Then don't show anyone that you slept with him. Every day." She looked at Stef, smiling slightly. "And the last few days I've been waking up and nothing. I just wake up and do my thing. It's such a relief!"

Stef smiled. "I'm glad. And thank you for trusting me. I'm going to try to be better and keep being here for both of you about this. No more secrets."

Callie looked at Stef directly and replied. "Thank you. And for the record… You asked me how I felt about all of this, and here's my answer: I'm in love with Brandon. And he's in love with me. It doesn't take away at all from how much I love this family, but I can't see him as a brother. I don't even want to anymore."

"I see that now. And we will figure it out," Stef said reassuringly, pulling Callie into a hug.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 _Moving Forward_

Since Jude was spending time with Connor before Connor moved, Jesus was out getting reacquainted with his friends, and Mariana was still asleep, Stef and Lena thought it was a good time to talk with Callie and Brandon about the future. They were all seated in the family room.

Callie sat nervously next to Brandon. Brandon, on the other hand, was geared up for a fight. He'd been here before.

"Okay," Lena started, opening the conversation. "Stef and I have discussed your relationship… And we have decided that you can stay together, and stay here, and we'll support you, under certain conditions."

Callie and Brandon both blinked. And then stared.

Callie leaned over to Brandon quickly and whispered, "Pinch me."

Brandon shook his head slowly in shock. "You first," he responded back, also shocked.

Stef jumped in while Brandon and Callie sat there speechless. "Wait until you hear the conditions. First of all, no one outside of this house can know. I want to be very clear here. What we're allowing you to do is illegal. So not only can you get in trouble, we can get in trouble for allowing it. If someone reported this to CPS… Well it's unlikely, but Callie, Jude, Mariana, and Jesus could be sent back to the foster system. Brandon would have to live with his father and AJ. And I honestly don't know how the two of you would be punished by the justice system."

Callie sat up, alarmed. "Then as much as I hate to even suggest it, shouldn't we just get the adoption annulled? Wouldn't that be less risky?"

Stef back-peddled, realizing that she might have over-startled Callie in her attempt to make sure they both understood the seriousness of the situation. "If possible, we want you here until you go off to college, Callie. We're going to play this by ear. And as long as you, Brandon, and the other kids can keep a secret… as uncomfortable as I still feel about all this… there shouldn't be a legal issue. You're not being monitored as carefully as you were as a foster child."

Callie and Brandon looked at each other, silently communicating that _yes, we all can keep secrets…_

"Daphne already knows," Callie admitted. Brandon looked at her in shock, and Callie shrugged. "I was freaking out after we got back from Idyllwild, and I told her. But Daphne would never betray Brandon and I," Callie added, referring to the incident at Christmas.

Stef nodded and continued. This was the hardest part of all this. "And Callie, in part you're right… We can't take that kind of risk forever. And certainly, we don't want to send you off to college, still together and still legally siblings. So if you two decide this is what you want long-term…" Stef hesitated.

Callie and Brandon were easily able to fill in the blanks.

"No," Brandon said, forcefully standing and walking to the other end of the room. Callie immediately followed, expecting this. The Moms sat quietly and patiently, waiting for them to work this out themselves. They were also curious to get more glimpses into the dynamic between them.

"Brandon," Callie murmured softly, grabbing his hands, trying to reach him. She reached up and brushed her hand across his cheek. "Brandon, tell me another solution," she said, patiently.

He shook his head. "I don't… I don't know, okay? I… I could go live with my dad."

Callie shook her head patiently. "You'd still be Stef's son legally. And we would still legally be considered siblings."

"I never would have come to your room that night if I had known you were going to be adopted, Callie," Brandon finally said, feeling guilty. Callie sighed, understanding that Brandon's inability to see this situation clearly was a result of his guilt. After all, Brandon wasn't stupid. He knew that they couldn't stay together long-term while siblings. But the guilt was still eating at him.

"Brandon, I made that decision with you, and-"

"We could break up again," Brandon finally said, interrupting Callie's attempt to comfort him. "We've only ever slipped up when we thought you couldn't get adopted."

"That's not true," Callie said firmly. "Physically, we only ever slipped up when we thought I couldn't get adopted. Emotionally, we slipped up all the time _."_

Brandon shook his head. "Yeah, but people can't call CPS on an emotional connection."

"What happened to the Brandon who asked me to fight for us?" Callie asked him, shocked at his reluctance to accept this. She was honestly surprised that Stef and Lena were willing to keep the adoption on the books at all. It was much better than what she was expecting.

"I realized what you'd be giving up!" Brandon said, hotly.

"Do you know what changed when I officially got adopted, Brandon?" Callie asked him, softly. He shook his head.

"Nothing," Callie said. "Nothing important changed except that you were hurt by it. I thought it meant that I would finally feel like part of the family, but I realize now that I already was. Look, I don't have a foster file following me around anymore, and I don't have to be constantly afraid of the rug being pulled out from under me. That's… amazing." She turned to Stef and Lena, realizing for the first time that they were still there.

"I am so beyond grateful for what you've done for me. And I hate that you wasted all this money on an adoption we will probably have to annul at some point," she looked down, shame-faced. But then she looked up at Stef and Lena, determined. "But you're my Moms. I know that now. With or without a piece of paper." They were both tearful, touched by what Callie was saying.

She turned back to Brandon. "And you're the man I love. With or without a piece of paper calling you my brother."

She went on, finally seeing that she was reaching Brandon. "We would have slipped up eventually. We tried getting over each other, and we failed. Shit happens; that determination to stay apart, at least for me, wavered at every sign of trouble. And life is full of trouble."

Brandon nodded, defeated, but also happy that Callie seemed secure in this, in them and in her place in the family. "Okay, if you're sure," He said softly.

Callie smiled and took his hand, bringing him back to the Moms.

"You two okay to keep talking?" Lena asked, checking. She was feeling emotional herself after watching that exchange.

They both nodded.

"Okay, so new rules," Lena said. "First, like we said, things must stay the same outside this house. Second, you're both getting tested for STIs, and Callie will be going on the pill."

Callie and Brandon both winced. Neither could argue logically against getting tested. "Doesn't getting the pill involve…" She made a face. "Like those stirrups and…" She couldn't find the words for how uncomfortable it made her to be that exposed to someone besides Brandon. She wasn't sure if it was because of Liam or just because it sounded extremely uncomfortable.

Seeing how uncomfortable Callie was, Brandon spoke up. "Couldn't we just keep using condoms?"

"Condoms can break," Stef said, bluntly. "And honestly, Brandon, if Callie is going to be sexually active, this is what we would strongly recommend for her regardless of who her boyfriend was. This is what doctors recommend; as soon as women start to have sex, they should go get checked by a gynecologist. Period. And you will be using condoms, too. There will be almost 100% assurance of no baby," Stef said sternly.

"It's okay," Callie said, putting a hand on Brandon's arm. After all, Stef was right.

Lena spoke up. "You can go to ours if you'd like, Callie. She's very nice."

Callie nodded, slightly more comfortable with the idea.

Lena decided to tackle the next rule since they were already on the topic of sex. "Since you can't do the typical dating thing outside of the house… We're also saying that you can have sex in the house as long as you're discreet about it."

"Please just let us at least pretend that it isn't happening," Stef said, jokingly. "No common areas, either."

Callie and Brandon were both so embarrassed at that moment that they couldn't imagine possibly having sex in the house when anyone was home. They both nodded quickly.

"And Callie, we're leaving it up to you – what you choose to tell Robert, Sophia, and when," Lena stated. What went unspoken was that Callie would likely need Robert to recue her from this situation, but Callie heard it loud and clear.

"I understand," she said simply. "Sophia's not going to be surprised, at least," she chuckled.

Brandon, Stef, and Lena all looked at her quizzically. "Never mind," Callie said, indicating subtly to Brandon that she would discuss it with him later.

"And you're grounded for two weeks for lying to us," Stef said. "We're not punishing you for how you feel about each other, but you should not have lied to the social worker or the judge, and you should not have lied to us. There will be _lots_ of chores, too."

Lena cut in out of curiosity. "Those inconsistencies with the social worker? What happened there?"

Callie looked at Brandon questioningly. "Yeah, what did happen? Since I was pulled out so fast, we never got to work out a story… But I just assumed we wouldn't say anything about our relationship or the fundraiser."

"Yeah, that's what I did, too," Brandon answered her unspoken question.

"And I bet you also told her that you started that kiss at the wedding," Callie said, putting it together.

"I was trying to protect you," Brandon said, hopelessly. "I was panicking. I even told Mariana that we kissed at the fundraiser."

"What?" The Moms both yelled in surprise.

Brandon shrugged, but then everyone was surprised when Mariana herself appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"Did I hear my name?" Mariana said, slyly.

Callie sighed. She had suspected that Mariana knew more than she was letting on. "You know, don't you?"

Mariana looked at Brandon. "You didn't think it was odd that I kept close to you in those few days before the adoption and on adoption day? I hate singing in front of people," she shivered, dramatically.

He shook his head in wonder at his sister. He figured that if she had figured it out, then she would have yelled at him. "You didn't say anything," he said to her, shocked.

Mariana shrugged, sitting down with her family. "I've yelled at you quite enough, don't you think?" She looked apologetically at Brandon.

"What changed your mind?" He asked her, curious.

"You did," she said, looking at Callie.

Callie was surprised. "What? What did I do?"

"I think that because you're better at hiding how you feel, I somehow thought that what went on between the two of you was sort of one-sided, that Brandon was way more invested.

But then when Brandon started talking at Idyllwild, everyone in the audience was thinking what the hell is that kid doing, me included. Everyone but you. You understood it to be the victory that it was before he even started playing. You glowed when the song was happy, and you were sad when the song was sad."

Mariana looked at Brandon again. "That song made me think of Matt, and that's how I knew that it was about Callie."

Brandon nodded, surprised at Mariana's insight.

"And _Outlaws_?" Mariana asked.

Brandon nodded again, a bit embarrassed. Stef and Lena shook their heads at their own ignorance. _Outlaws. Of course…_

Mariana turned back to Callie. "At the cabin, I was feeling really sad about Matt, and I couldn't sleep. I usually have you to talk to… so I went to find you."

Brandon and Callie looked at her wide-eyed. Stef and Lena both shook their heads. _Never again sending our teenage children to a cabin alone. Ever._

Mariana laughed. "Don't worry, you were asleep and, you know, mostly covered, so I just left and thought I would let everything play itself out. Once it seemed like Callie was still getting adopted, I just tried to be supportive."

She looked at Callie. "Look, you're my sister, no matter what, okay? I'm sorry you never felt like you could talk to me about this. You seem much happier and settled now. And I'm going to help you with Jude and Jesus. I'll be supportive."

She looked at Brandon. "And I'm sorry, Brandon. If I could take back what I said when we all found out about the kiss… I think it was hard because with Callie running away, it made it seem to me like she was running from you. But she was running for Jude. I should have listened. And I should have listened about the fundraiser instead of panicking that Callie wouldn't be adopted. Callie wasn't here, and you clearly needed someone to talk to."

"Thanks, Mariana," Brandon replied, touched.

Lena sighed. "Have you thought about what you're going to tell Jude, Callie?"

"The truth," Callie replied, with an expression that clearly expressed how much she was dreading it.

Up next: Conversation with Jude… I love your feedback so much! Let me know what you think of this chapter and Mariana's entrance into the story.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N So sorry about the long wait, folks! Work and life have been hard and time-consuming as of late.

Chapter 6

 _Jude_

"You ready for this?" Brandon asked Callie, offering her his hand. They were about to go talk to Jude about their relationship.

"No, but let's go," Callie sighed, grasping Brandon's hand. She stood, squeezed it once, and let go, knowing that walking into Jude's room holding Brandon's hand would upset him.

She paused as they came to Jude and Jesus's door, hesitating.

"Callie?"

"He's going to _hate_ me," Callie whimpered quietly, whispering. "It would be one thing if we had come clean before the adoption, but now it's like taking the rug right out from under him. Again. We should have told them that morning, Brandon."

He sighed, looking at her. He hated seeing her this upset. "You're probably right, but we can't go back. We can't change it, and in our defense, we were in an absolute panic. All we can do now is go forward and try to do better." He paused, wondering if what he wanted to say was the right thing to say. "He'll forgive you, Callie."

She shook her head slowly. "I'm honestly not sure of that."

It was unfortunate that Jude chose that exact moment to open his door, finding Callie and Brandon standing there. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "I heard you guys whispering out here. What's up?"

Callie and Brandon walked into Jude's room. Callie sat next to Jude on his head, and Brandon sat across from them at Jude's desk.

"Jude," Callie started, "Brandon and I are back together." She wanted to rip the band aid off as quickly as possible, and she knew no amount of sugar-coating would make this easier for her brother.

"WHAT?" Jude jumped up from his bed, shocked. "Callie… You _just got adopted._ "

"I know."

Jude looked between Brandon and Callie, waiting for the punch-line. He pinched himself, waiting to wake up. Two serious faces stared back at him instead. This was real.

Callie continued, hesitant. "Something happened between Brandon and I a couple days before I was adopted because I defended Rita. In defending Rita, I thought I had made my chances of getting adopted go away, but we were wrong."

"How… What does Rita have to do with anything?"

"One of the girls who was asked to speak with my social worker knew about Brandon and I… Knew that it wasn't one kiss, that we were in a relationship at GU. She was the same girl who accused Rita of hitting her, but she admitted that she didn't. I thought telling on her meant she would tell on me."

Jude looked angrily at Callie. "Of course you were in a relationship at GU! So what? You couldn't even wait a couple days to figure out if that girl would actually tell? And then when you figured it out that you could still be adopted, you couldn't just end it?" His voice became increasingly louder and more agitated as he spoke, and Brandon winced, wanting Callie to be spared this pain.

Callie, however, spoke calmly. A different sibling might have just yelled back at Jude regardless of the veracity of what he was saying, but she had taken care of Jude for most of his life and half of hers, and her first priority was taking care of him still. It was ironic that her love for Jude is part of why Brandon first fell for Callie in the first place; her love for them both had unintentionally caused significant pain when Callie ran away.

But she was done running now. "Jude, I'm so sorry this hurts you. But Moms said that they'll keep the adoption going for now."

He wasn't listening; he was thinking about something she said before. "What happened a couple days before your adoption?"

Callie really wanted to avoid admitting this to her younger brother, but he was growing up now, taller, more confident and ready to face the world. "We slept together." She said it simply and waited for the explosion.

In a fit of anger, Jude turned to Brandon and said cruelly, "Wow, you really are like Liam, aren't you?"

"Hey!" Before Brandon could say a word in his own defense, Callie stood up, and for the first time her voice turned hard. "Do _not ever_ say that again, Jude, do you hear me? Yes, I willingly had a relationship with Liam, but he was 19, and I was 14, Jude. He was manipulating me, and he was using me. And he _raped_ me." Callie's voice broke, and Jude's face showed remorse.

But she wasn't finished. "I've always been able to trust Brandon, even enough to _choose_ to sleep with him. So don't you _ever_ compare the two of them again, Jude."

"I'm sorry," Jude whispered, repentant. He locked eyes with Brandon, too, indicating his apology was to both of them.

"I'm in love with her," Brandon said quietly, his first words in the conversation. He looked directly at Jude, pleading. "I know… When I first told you that, I had no idea the minefield we were in, what we were up against. You were right to call it naïve thinking that we would just be together with no consequences. I know this is going to cost you, Callie, and the rest of the family. If I could prevent that, I would. That's why we tried to bury what happened between us… But ultimately we just couldn't live with this secret forever. I hate that it hurts you, and I love _you_ like a brother, but I'll never be able to see your sister that way. I'm sorry."

Jude nodded, slowly. He wasn't ready to accept what Brandon was saying quite yet, but he understood it.

"Where will you go?" Jude asked helplessly, looking at Callie.

She sighed. "Possibly I'll stay here until I go to college, but I'll need to have Robert reinstate his parental rights at some point before then. He might have something different to say about where I live. I don't know exactly what happens next, Jude," she admitted.

"But for her to stay here while we figure it out, you have to keep this a secret," Brandon stated. "We all do."

Jude nodded, looking down sadly at the floor. "So eventually you'll be a Quinn," Jude said brokenly.

Callie's eyes filled with tears, but she didn't allow them to fall. "I'm so sorry that this hurts you, Jude. I will still love you just the same. You were my only family for such a long time… I won't just forget. And these people here are our family still – yours and mine. We don't need a piece of paper to prove that."

Jude nodded, miserably, clearly not convinced. "Can you guys just leave, please?" Jude asked. He didn't look at either of them.

Callie ruffled his hair and stood without another word. She and Brandon both left Jude and Jesus's room, feeling relieved and sad all at once.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 _Long Night_

"Sophia's in trouble," Callie announced, coming into Brandon's room and barely disguising her panic. "I'm sorry, but can you drive me? She's at this party, alone, drank the punch… I could kill her." Callie shook her head at her sister's naiveté.

Brandon was already standing, grabbing his keys along the way. As they went to leave his room, he asked, "Could you get an address from her?"

Callie nodded.

"Moms!" Brandon called into the kitchen, walking in with Callie from the stairs.

Stef and Lena both looked up.

"We're going to grab Sophia from a party. We're not staying. We'll pick her up, make sure she's safe, and bring her home," Callie said, laying out the whole story. Brandon was looking at her, surprised that she wasn't giving some excuse. But, she wasn't about to go behind Stef's and Lena's back again.

Stef nodded, slowly. "And you will be calling Robert or Jill on your way, yes?" It was phrased as a question, but it was clearly an order. Lena nodded in agreement. "Which one of them has her this weekend?"

"Dad does," Callie answered. "I'll call him from the car, I promise, but she's alone, he doesn't live as close as us and neither does Jill, she drank the punch, and…"

"And you need to go," Stef interrupted, calmly. "See you both later. Be safe."

"Turn left here," Callie said to Brandon, "It's at the end of this road." Returning her attention to her phone, she said, "Yeah, Dad, we're almost there, okay? And Sophia just texted me that she's waiting outside, so she's okay. We'll see you soon."

Robert sighed on the other side of the phone, wondering what his youngest daughter was thinking. "Callie, thank you."

"Of course," Callie replied, hanging up. She took a deep breath, fidgeting.

Brandon grabbed her hand. "She's going to be fine, Callie."

Callie shook her head. "She's so fragile, so naïve. I worry about her. Sometimes I worry about her more than I worry about Jude. He has sense. I _taught_ him sense, and what I didn't teach him the system taught him the hard way. But Sophia – she had everything handed to her on a silver spoon, and she doesn't get it. You can't go to parties alone, on medication, and drink whatever is handed to you!"

"We all make mistakes, Callie," Brandon said, softly.

Callie shook her head. "If she were to go through something hard… Something truly difficult… Would she walk into traffic again? Right behind me?"

Brandon squeezed her hand. "That must have been awful for you."

"I called her over-dramatic for saying she would kill herself. Can you imagine? I turned around, I heard a crash, and there was Sophia. Time stopped. The last time I felt that way was when I saw Jude getting beaten. But I could save Jude; I can't save Sophia from herself."

"Callie, she'll be fine, okay? One day at a time. She seems so much more stable than she was. This is just a hiccup. She went to a party and got a little drunk. She's not the first, and she won't be the last."

Callie squeezed his hand, a wordless thanks. "We're here," she said softly, exhaling.

Callie easily found Sophia outside the house. "Come on," Callie said sharply, grabbing her hand.

"Callie!" Sophia exclaimed drunkenly. She stumbled a bit as she stood up, so Callie and Brandon grabbed her arms to help her. "Callie, thank you so much."

"You won't be thanking me when your dad sees you."

"You called him?" Sophia whined.

"Yes… He's worried about you. Apparently you told him you were at a friend's house. And instead you were here." Callie sighed, trying to stifle her anger. "Just get in the car."

A half an hour later, Brandon turned into Robert's driveway and parked. Sophia wasn't feeling the effect of the punch as much anymore. The entire drive had been silent due to the tension between Callie and Sophia.

After they left the car, Sophia turned to Callie. "Why are you so angry with me? Look, I'm sorry I dragged you away from your house to come get me."

Callie was furious. "You think I care about that?"

"Callie," Brandon said softly. He was stuck. He was pretty sure that he could calm Callie down, but not without making it obvious that they were together.

Callie ignored him. "You're on medication, Sophia, which makes drinking alcohol really stupid. But you didn't even know what was in that punch, which makes it like a hundred times worse! You didn't even go to the party with a friend or a guy or anyone to look after you!"

"Callie, everyone goes to parties," Sophia said, dismissively. "I knew some people there from school. I'm not even that drunk anymore; I just freaked out when I started really feeling it, so I called you. Won't happen again!" She stomped off.

"Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?" Callie shouted after her, finally losing it. "You think you were sad before? Try waking up with no underwear, in pain, wondering where the hell your virginity went!"

There was silence. That's when Brandon and Callie noticed that Robert had been standing at his front door the whole time. His face displayed his shock at what he had overheard. Sophia was entirely focused on her sister.

"Callie…" She started, not really knowing what to say. Callie's entire body had frozen, realizing what she had given away. Her face started to crumple.

"We're going to take a walk," Brandon said softly to Robert and Sophia. Without another word, he pressed his hand to the small of Callie's back to encourage her to start walking. He steered her around to the pool.

Callie's breath was starting to quicken, so Brandon directed her to a chair. He was suddenly reminded of the fundraiser. "Deep breaths, Callie."

"I can't believe I said that," Callie said, sniffling, muffled, hiding her face against Brandon's shoulder. "How am I supposed to face them again?"

Brandon turned to her and brushed his hands under her eyes to get rid of her tears. He cupped her cheeks in his hands. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. Well, you were a little harsh. But the rest… You face them as you always have."

"Brandon…" Her voice made her doubt very clear.

"They will still love you. I promise."

Callie was silent. Brandon grabbed her hand, and they just sat quietly for a minute.

"I hate telling the story," Callie said softly. "I mean, does everyone in my life really have to know about my worst moment?"

Brandon kissed her forehead. "I understand what you're saying, I really do, but just know that I felt so honored when you told me. It meant that you trusted me. And I'm grateful for knowing because it means that if you get upset like this, I know why, and I can help." He hesitated. "And if you're ever going to live here or be here on a regular basis…"

"Then you think Dad should know." Callie sighed. "Well, I don't agree, but it's not really up to me anymore."

Brandon gave her a quick peck on the lips and stood up, reaching for Callie's hand. They turned to walk back and saw Robert standing there, shocked, having clearly seen their kiss.

"Wow, can't catch a break tonight," Callie murmured to herself. Brandon was almost tempted to laugh.

"I just came to check on you," Robert stated. "I... um…" He was speechless. "Come inside, both of you."

Callie and Brandon had no choice but to follow.

"I knew it!" Sophia said, smiling at herself proudly.

Callie couldn't help but smile back slightly. "Yes, you guessed correctly. Brandon was the one I loved before I was with Wyatt."

"Let me get this straight. You two have been in a relationship this whole time," Robert asked sternly. He couldn't believe this. First, one of his daughters goes to a party and drinks, and then he finds out his other daughter was raped and is currently dating her adopted brother.

"No, we haven't. This is… recent. I mean, we were together very briefly before you met me, but we broke up so that I could be adopted. And then something happened…" Callie hesitated.

"What happened?" Robert asked, gently. He didn't seem too angry with her, which provided her with enough encouragement to continue.

She told him about Rita, Carmen, her relationship with Brandon, and thinking the adoption was over. Sophia's eyes went wide as she was telling the story.

"Oh Callie, why didn't you call me?" Robert asked. "I really thought you trusted me now."

She nodded. "I thought about it. I really did, but like I told you, the Fosters feel like home. I understand now that I can't keep it that way in exactly the same way, but I didn't want Jude, Lena, and Stef to get hurt." She looked at Brandon next to her. "We didn't want anyone to get hurt."

She looked down, wringing her hands. "Jude especially… I don't think he'll ever forgive me."

"He will," Brandon said, sure of Jude's love for his sister. "You practically raised him. He will forgive you."

Callie shook her head sadly. "So that's the story about Brandon and me." She looked up again.

She could see Robert hesitating. "I don't want to fight with you about custody again, but…"

Callie closed her eyes, accepting her fate. It was like being back on that deck at Idyllwild all over again. She opened her eyes and looked at Robert directly. "I know. I don't really see how it's unhealthy for Brandon and I to be in the same house, but I know I need you to get me out of this. So please, help me. If you want me to move, just say it. I won't fight it, and neither will Stef and Lena."

"I'm going to get you out of this on paper," Robert said slowly. "The rest… I." He shook his head, looking at Callie and Brandon helplessly. "The rest we'll figure out, okay? Maybe you could go back and forth? I want to think about this some more with you two and your moms, okay. But yes, consider the adoption handled."

"Thank you," Callie said. She looked at her father earnestly. "I… just thank you."

"I want you to know that I love her," Brandon said to Robert. "I know this must seem shocking to you, but I love her, and that's been true for a while." Callie looked at Brandon happily.

Robert laughed. "Yeah, shocking is one word for it. You guys put on a good show."

"Callie," Sophia interrupted. "I'm sorry about tonight. You're right; I was irresponsible."

Callie hugged Sophia and shook her head. "No, baby, I was too hard on you. I should have just talked to you about parties, not scared you like that."

"What happened to you?" Sophia whispered, looking at Callie hesitantly. "I mean, you don't have to tell us, but…"

Callie took a deep breath. "A couple of years ago, Jude and I were in a foster home. It was a pretty good- "

Brandon interrupted her. He turned to face her and took her hands. "Please don't say that again. It was _not_ a good situation. I understand that for you a good situation meant that Jude was safe and Jude was fed on a regular basis. But _you_ were not safe, Callie, okay? So that's not a good situation."

Callie couldn't help but smile at him lovingly. "How long have you been waiting to say that?"

"A while."

Callie nodded, turning back to Robert and Sophia. "Alright, so it was a good situation for Jude, and the parents were nice to me. But they had a son, and at the time, he was 19."

"How old were you?" Robert asked, dreading the answer.

"When it started between us, I was 14," Callie said. "When I turned 15, he came into my room and asked me to have sex. I told him I wasn't ready, and he… raped me." She said it calmly, but on the inside she felt exposed.

"Oh Callie…" Robert didn't know what to say, so he reached out and hugged her. Callie returned the hug, leaning into it. "I'm so sorry," he said, brokenly, wishing more than ever that Colleen had told him about Callie.

"I'm okay," Callie told him softly, breaking the hug. "Really."

He nodded at her. Sophia hugged Callie tightly after their dad pulled away. She didn't say anything. She knew there wasn't anything she could say that would make up for the pain Callie went through.

"Did he ever get punished?" Robert asked.

Callie nodded. "Sort of. I… Went to trial. With my record, the judge didn't believe me, and the court decided in his favor. But then months later, he started using my social security number to get credit cards. Stef caught him, and I figured that the underage girl he was seeing at the time, Sarah… Well, a guy like him would use her social security, too. I had Stef run her credit report, we showed her that he was using her social, too, and she admitted that they had sex and that he was behind the identity theft scheme. She was underage, so he went to jail. He'll be there for a couple of years at least."

Robert sighed. "Anyone ever hit him? Please tell me…"

"Wyatt and I got a couple hits in when we ran into him at a festival in town, but he's built like a truck," Brandon replied.

Callie sighed. "Violence is not the answer. At least, it never was with Liam. The answer was to be smarter, and to stop being afraid of him."

"You're quite impressive, Callie," Robert said, smiling at her.

"We should get home," Callie said, uncomfortable with all of the attention on her.

"Okay, thank you for bringing Sophia home. I'll get my lawyers on the other thing in the morning," Robert told Callie.

"Thanks," Callie said, meaning it.

Brandon and Callie were lying in Brandon's bed, processing the evening. They left the door open as per the rules for Stef and Lena, but the rest of the family was downstairs. They were both in their pajamas and tangled together. It felt like a blessing to be able to snuggle together without worrying about what would happen if one of their family members saw.

"I need to tell you something," Brandon whispered. He had been thinking about it ever since him and Callie officially got back together, and especially that night.

"Okay," Callie said simply, sitting up a little on Brandon's chest, looking up at him. "What is it?"

"Do you remember when you came over to Dad's apartment? Before you were going to get adopted the first time?"

"Of course," Callie said, confused.

"I told you that I wasn't hurting, but I was." He looked away from her sad gaze, knowing it wouldn't help him get through this story. "I got drunk, and Dani came home and found me."

Callie's instincts were going haywire at this point. "Do you want me to guess what happened, or would it be better for you to tell me?" She asked with empathy.

Brandon looked back at Callie, realizing she already knew and she wasn't angry. It gave him the courage to continue his story. "We ended up sleeping together. If I had been sober, it never would have happened."

Callie hugged Brandon tighter from her spot snuggled against him. "Oh Brandon… Why didn't you tell me? I don't understand. You had to know that I would support you."

"My experience with Dani wasn't violent, and she went straight to jail after I told my parents. Compared to what you went through, how is that fair?"

"I told Mariana this once, and I'm saying it to you now. You know what game no one wins? The one where you decide whose life sucks worse." She sighed, kissing his cheek. "I understand that you wanted to protect me, but a smart guy once told me that keeping stuff in doesn't make it hurt any less, just hurts the people you shut out. And this is me talking now – it also keeps you from getting the love you deserve."

Brandon smiled. "That guy sounds like a winner." He laughed.

Callie didn't. "He's the very best," she said seriously, kissing Brandon on the lips. She leaned back down on Brandon's chest. "How are you doing with it now?" She asked, caressing his arm that was closest to her, holding her close.

"I realize that she was the adult, so she should have stopped it, and that I wasn't in any state to consent" he said slowly, and Callie recognized that he had worked hard to convince himself of that. She knew it was difficult to stop blaming yourself completely.

"But…"

"It was awful having to face my dad after that. And moms looked at me like…"

"A victim, I know. It sucks."

"It's humiliating."

"Yes, it is," Callie said simply, validating him.

"I don't know how you told a whole courtroom," Brandon said, amazed again at the girl in his arms.

Callie smiled slowly. "I had you." She looked up at him, seriously. "And you have me, you know? I know that sometimes this thing between us has been lop-sided, and that's my fault for leaning on you so much. But I am always here to listen to you. I was before, too. I don't want our relationship to be about you taking care of me."

Brandon nodded at her. "Me neither," he admitted.

"I love you so much," Callie said softly. She looked at him with the same light in her eyes that once told Sophia the truth about her feelings for Brandon.

"I love you, too," Brandon said back, looking back adoringly.

When their moms found them later, they were curled up the same way, asleep.

"Do we wake them?" Lena asked Stef.

Stef smiled. "Nah, we can just tease them about it in the morning. Lighting won't strike this house down if we willingly let them sleep in the same bed."

"You sure?" Lena teased her wife.

At that moment, Callie stirred in her sleep and curled in tighter to Brandon, calming. Brandon's head tilted toward hers in response.

Stef and Lena couldn't help but be touched at the obvious love between the two, even though they still hated the idea of losing Callie as a daughter. They looked so peaceful. "I'm sure," Stef stated, softly. "Let's go get some sleep ourselves."

A/N Take this gift of a second chapter in three days! And it's long, with a lot happening. Hope you enjoyed. Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 _Acceptance_

"Brandon," Callie whispered after she had woken up and gotten ready for the day. She didn't want to wake him, but she also didn't want him to worry when he woke up and found her gone. "Brandon," she whispered again, a little louder, caressing his cheek.

"Callie?" Brandon asked, slowly becoming alert.

Callie smiled before becoming a bit more serious. "I'm going to go speak with Rita before she heads to Girls United for the day. I'll be back later. I just didn't want you to just suddenly wake up and find me gone."

Brandon nodded, slowly, fully awake. He looked at her for a second. "Are you… okay?"

"Yes, I am, I just feel like I owe it to her to keep her informed."

Brandon just kept looking at her, waiting for the rest.

Callie sighed. "I just… I want an outside perspective. If I can make her understand, then…"

"Then?"

"Then I'll still be able to look myself in the eye when the court inevitably drags me out of here, hurting me, my brother, and our moms."

Brandon winced. "You don't know that."

"I do, Brandon. I know the system," Callie responded calmly. "Robert knows now, and his lawyer is going to tell him that there is absolutely no way that they can dissolve the adoption without saying why. Once the judge knows why, especially after that investigation, that's it. We'll be lucky if the only way we're punished is that I'm taken away."

"Okay, sure, but we don't have to tell the judge why. We don't have to dissolve the adoption at all for a while. Moms said so."

Callie was silent, staring off into the distance.

"What aren't you saying?" Brandon asked, finally.

"I don't think it's the right thing to do," Callie admitted softly. "Moms also said they could get in trouble if people found out. I can't risk that. Maybe they're willing to do that for me, for us, but I'm not."

"People won't find out," Brandon spoke urgently, sensing that her mind was made up and hating it.

Callie looked at him sadly. "They already did, Brandon," Callie responded, slowly and deliberately. "It's already over. That's why I need to talk to Rita. It's going to be… difficult, moving again."

"Because of me," Brandon exclaimed guiltily.

"You've got to stop that," Callie spoke seriously. "I can't…" She finally cracked, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I can't do this, leave Jude and this family, and deal with your guilt at the same time! Okay? I can't!"

"I'm sorry," Brandon breathed, hugging her tightly. "I'm sorry. You're right." He kissed the side of her forehead.

Callie pulled back, reaching for his hands. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap, and it's sweet that you feel guilty. Look - I'll still be a part of this family. I know this isn't… like _the end_. But this adoption was over the moment we slept together."

"Then how come you were adopted?"

She sighed. "Because we hadn't accepted it yet."

"Callie, it's great to see you," Rita exclaimed with genuine delight.

Callie smiled. "I hope I didn't text you too early."

"I was awake. What's up?"

Callie sighed. "Can we sit?"

"What's wrong, Callie?" Rita asked perceptively.

Callie steeled herself. "After I sent you that text, the one with the recording... I really believed that you or the social worker would stop the adoption. _I slept with Brandon._ " She just barely spit out the words.

Rita went pale. "Callie, I can't just ignore…"

"Moms know, Jude, the twins, so does Robert and Sophia."

Rita exhaled. "Okay. Why?" Rita asked calmly.

"Because I'm in love with him, and we were practically alone in a cabin in the woods," Callie responded, a little defensively.

Rita put her hands up. "Okay, Callie. I just wanted to be sure it wasn't because you were blowing up the adoption."

"I thought it was blown up already, Rita."

"I see that now," Rita replied calmingly. "And the adoption?"

"Stef and Lena are willing to overlook it for a while, since I'm 17 and off to school soon… But they could get in trouble."

"Yes, they could," Rita said gravely.

"So I'll move in with Dad," Callie spoke bravely.

"And how are you feeling about that?"

Callie's face crumpled. "Really sad. I've been trying not to let Brandon see because he already feels so guilty. And I know I'll still see all of them all the time… But I'm really sad, Rita."

"Oh honey," Rita said, hugging her. She didn't give her any platitudes or try and fix it, which Callie appreciated.

After Callie broke away from the hug, she spoke. "I do need you to understand, though… When I was at GU, we talked about Brandon as an addiction, and it sort of made sense at the time. I was using him to blow up the adoption and as my protector from dealing with my crap… That was real, and that really had to stop. That was my addiction. And it wasn't just you and the girls who thought so. Brandon confronted me about it after I kissed him at the fundraiser."

Rita nodded, agreeing, but sensing that Callie had more to say.

"But I'm in love with him. Living in that house day in and day out, with him, _attracted_ to him, _in love_ with him, denying it to everyone, even myself… It got impossibly difficult after we slept together. I couldn't keep doing that, Rita." She looked at Rita pleadingly.

"Then you know Callie, I think you're doing what I told you to do at your birthday party."

Callie looked at Rita questioningly.

Rita smiled, slowly. "You're taking care of _you._ "

"Jude hates me. Stef and Lena are hurting, too, I can tell." Callie frowned. "Is it okay to take care of me if it hurts other people?"

Rita shook her head. "No easy answer to that, and it's different in every situation. In this case, I don't think you had another choice."

"Can I ask you something?" Callie requested curiously.

Rita nodded, agreeing.

"Why is it considered so awful? Foster siblings together? Adopted siblings together?"

"That's a challenging question… Some of it is just a stigma. A lot of it has to do with abusive situations, like the one you were in with Liam."

Callie nodded, understanding. "But Brandon would never hurt me."

"Sure, he would."

Callie looked at Rita in surprise. "Rita…"

Rita leaned forward, interrupting Callie. "I don't mean that he would hurt you like Liam. I mean that in the course of a normal relationship, arguments happen. Break-ups happen. People get hurt. And then how does that affect the family? Do family members have to take sides? Not to mention the greater potential for sex when you're living in such close quarters, which the state certainly doesn't approve of."

Callie shook her had slowly. "If we got in an argument or something happened… Brandon and I could both just escape to our Dad's houses. It's not a typical situation. Brandon used that option before when we had just broken up."

Rita nodded. "You're right; every situation is different. You asked me, _in general,_ why these rules exist. And not for nothing, but it sounds like plenty has happened between you and Brandon that might have been uncomfortable and hurtful, and you both just sucked it up and dealt with it. That's not okay; that's not what home is supposed to feel like for two teenagers."

Callie nodded, slowly. "I guess I just don't understand why some things, like this rule, matter so much to the state… _One kiss_ prompted a restraining order, an investigation… but other things, like kids getting abused, or kids living with drug dealers, don't get the same attention."

"All of it matters, Callie… But it's a broken system," Rita reminded her with no small amount of sadness.

Callie nodded.

"And Stef may have over-reacted with the restraining order," Rita admitted. "But you didn't hear that from me!"

Callie laughed. "I would never!"

Meanwhile, Robert had arrived at the Adams-Foster home.

"Hi Robert," Stef said, surprised. "Callie isn't here, but she should be back soon."

Robert nodded. "Okay, I also wanted to talk to you and Lena."

"Lena's at work, and I'm about to leave in an hour. Do you want coffee?" Stef asked, turning and heading toward the kitchen.

"Callie told me about her and Brandon."

"Okay, then would you like some liquor instead of coffee?"

Robert laughed, genuinely. Stef brought him a cup of coffee despite her offer.

"I met with my lawyer this morning, just to get some clarification on what we're dealing with." Robert didn't beat around the bush.

"And?" Stef asked, steeling herself.

"He's pretty confident that I could re-establish my parental rights, but the judge would have to know why. But Callie and Brandon wouldn't be punished; it wouldn't make it out of family court, and the point of family court isn't to punish." Robert sighed. "I just want you to know… This isn't what I wanted. I never would have asked for this to happen."

Stef sighed, too. "I know that."

Robert looked at her briefly, then away.

"What?" Stef asked, sensing there was more he wanted to say. 

"You never mentioned their relationship during the custody battle." He didn't say it harshly, but the condemnation was clear.

"Their relationship as we understood it was one kiss," Stef responded angrily.

"Really?" Robert asked. "There was never a moment where you wondered. They never seemed too close to be brother and sister or heart-broken? Their eyes never lingered too long? No red flags? You were absolutely certain that it was nothing more than a blip?"

Stef was silent. 

"You weren't certain. There were red flags. You were counting on the self-control of two teenagers." Robert said angrily.

"They understood what was at stake. They're both mature," Stef answered, softly. "But you're right, okay? There were signs that we overlooked. But she felt like our daughter by then!" This conversation was painful for her.

Robert nodded and felt contrite, recognizing this. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

Stef sighed. "From your perspective, I understand why you would."

Robert nodded. "All right, well we should both get to work. I'll let Callie know what we talked about. It's her call what I do next."

A/N I know some of you won't be happy with the direction I'm taking this in, and that's all right. Please try to be civil about it. I know the Adams-Fosters are Callie's family, and they will always be her family, but living with that secret… I don't think that's healthy, for Callie or for Brandon. For me, it kind of cheapened the victory her adoption was supposed to be. I also keep coming back to the fact that Callie's first instinct after she stopped panicking _was_ to call Robert in 3.10.

For this story, I thought about it a lot, and to stay in character, I also can't see Callie staying in that house if she knows that Stef and Lena could get in trouble. I also understand why the rules for foster and adopted siblings are what they are.

While I'm 100% positive the show won't handle the reveal this soon or this way (I think we're in for a lot of silent angst, you guys… ), I'm sure that secret will come out eventually along with the string of secrets Callie and Brandon are keeping. Who knows what'll happen then in canon? (I'll be Jossed for sure.) But this is how I see the characters ultimately getting to an honest and happy place much sooner than they probably will in the show, and I hope you all can continue to enjoy it! There will be more fluff very soon!


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